Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Waiting On Wednesday: Last Night in Twisted River

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine.


This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving book cover
Last Night In Twisted River
by John Irving
Publication Date: October 26

From Publishers Weekly:

"Irving (The World According to Garp) returns with a scattershot novel, the overriding themes, locations and sensibilities of which will probably neither surprise longtime fans nor win over the uninitiated. Dominic “Cookie” Baciagalupo and his son, Danny, work the kitchen of a New Hampshire logging camp overlooking the Twisted River, whose currents claimed both Danny's mother and, as the novel opens, mysterious newcomer Angel Pope. Following an Irvingesque appearance of bears, Cookie and Danny's “world of accidents” expands, precipitating a series of adventures both literary and culinary. The ensuing 50-year slog follows the Baciagalupos from a Boston Italian restaurant to an Iowa City Chinese joint and finally a Toronto French cafe, while dovetailing clumsily with Danny's career as the distinctly Irving-like writer Danny Angel. The story's vicariousness is exacerbated by frequent changes of scene, self-conscious injections of how writers must “detach themselves” and a cast of invariably flat characters. With conflict this meandering and characters this limp, reflexive gestures come off like nostalgia and are bound to leave readers wishing Irving had detached himself even more."

I love classic Irving- you know, The World According to Garp and A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Let's hope this book is a return to Irving's former glory!

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

5 comments:

Mary (Bookfan) said...

I'll be watching for reviews!

A Bookshelf Monstrosity said...

Yeah!!! My first comment! You are so wonderful. Thanks!

keb said...

Welcome to the nerdom (as opposed to nerfdom, which is not cool)Add The Help....were not you histerically over the top on it?

A Bookshelf Monstrosity said...

Good idea...maybe that will be my first review.

melissa @ 1lbr said...

Looking forward to seeing more from you! Welcome to blog land.

Best way to get readers? Comment on their blogs.

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